Out of the blue yesterday my dealer called and said the paperwork came through and my Octane 9 was ready to pick up. It has been 10 months but I have been hearing about longer waits so I was not expecting the call. I rushed over and picked it up wondering if it was a cruel April Fools day joke, but I got it and hope to be out on the range today. I have a couple of questions and could not get in touch with Silencerco to ask.

First, I will be shooting 9mm with some Sigs (P239, P229, P226). I plan to mostly use the P229 because the balance feels great. However, I also have a 226 conversion kit and a Ruger Mk 111. I purchased a mount for the 22LR for this. It is an end cap that fits to the Octane on one side and the host on the other. There is no piston or spring. From what I have read this is correct for a fixed barrel which I assume is the Ruger. Is this also correct for the conversion kit? I am not sure what fixed barrel means so I want to make sure I don't use it wrong.

Second, the dealer really tried to convince me to not use the Octane 9 on 22LR. I do have a Kestrel 22 which hopefully will be released next month, because of the 22LR reputation for being dirty. Since I have already purchased the Kestrel, he doesn't have any reason to push me to not use the Octane. He said that the 22LR had more of a possibility of damaging a baffle and that would be catastrophic to the Octane. It seems that most of what I have read indicates that many people use the Octane 9 with a 22 host with no problem, so I just wanted to get your opinions.

I would appreciate feedback on both of these questions. Thank you all!!

You picked a great silencer. I used to work at an FFL/SOT, and after deciding between the top 9mm cans, I went with the Octane. I think it's the best pistol can on the market. Here's a thread I wrote about the Octane compared to the other two most popular pistol silencers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRJACKET

From what I have read this is correct for a fixed barrel which I assume is the Ruger. Is this also correct for the conversion kit?

Yes. If the barrel doesn't move, then it will work fine. If you use the fixed-barrel setup on a locked-breech pistol where the barrel tips up, you won't hurt anything but the action won't cycle properly because you removed the LID.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRJACKET

Second, the dealer really tried to convince me to not use the Octane 9 on 22LR.

Your dealer has no idea what he's talking about. I've heard directly from a Silencerco rep that it's fine to use .22 in an Octane 9. And that makes total sense because the Octane has the same baffle design as their Spectre .22 suppressor, it's just bigger and has a LID. And, surprisingly, the Octane is actually quieter with .22 than a Spectre is. I know this because I've tested it myself with my Octane 9 and my friend's Spectre.

The only real difference in cleaning the Octane vs. the Spectre is the expansion chamber baffle can be difficult to get out depending on which version you have. Here's a thread on that subject from a popular silencer forum. Also, keep in mind that the outer tube on the Spectre is stainless steel but the Octane's is aluminum, so you have to be a little more careful with which chemicals you use to clean the Octane's tube.

The issue with 22lr ammo thru a can is purely one of lead build up inside the can

Exactly. And some pistol cans (like the Osprey) can't be taken apart, so it's virtually impossible to get that lead out. And some other cans (like the Ti-Rant) have baffle designs that would allow lead to get in between the baffles and the tube, which would essentially lead-weld the baffles inside the tube and make them a pain to get out. This is why people usually say don't shoot .22 through a pistol silencer.

But the Octane's CTA baffles (just like the Spectre's) keep almost all of the lead fouling inside the baffles and away from the tube. And, unlike the Ti-Rant, the CTA baffles are stainless, making it much easier to clean the lead off.

When a gun has a barrel that's fixed in place and doesn't move, all you need to do is attach a silencer to it and you're good to go. But when you have a Browning-type locked-breech handgun where the barrel tips up as part of the unlocking process (most center-fire pistols are like this; your SIGs are perfect examples), the extra weight of the silencer on the end of the barrel can cause the gun to malfunction.

That's why most center-fire pistol silencers have a piston assembly that allows the silencer to move in a way that compensates for the added weight and allows a locked-breech pistol to function properly. This piston is also called a Nielsen device, a booster, or a LID (linear inertial decoupler). While it's fine to use a silencer without a LID on a locked-breech handgun (it won't hurt anything, the pistol will just malfunction), it's not a good idea to use a silencer with a LID on a fixed barrel gun like a rifle or a blowback-operated .22 handgun. The silencer can bounce back and forth in an odd way and damage the threads. It's not a big deal on low-recoiling .22, but it's still a good idea to use a fixed-barrel mount. Most fixed-barrel mounts are just spacers that replace the LID spring to keep the silencer from moving, but the Octane fixed-barrel mount removes the LID entirely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRJACKET

My conversion kit is a a Sig 22LR conversion for a a Sig P226. Does the fixed mount work on this set up?

Yes. Your SIG .22LR conversion kit uses a fixed barrel and a 1/2x28 thread pattern. If your fixed-barrel mount is also threaded in 1/2x28 it will work just fine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRJACKET

Theo, I read your write ups. Great job. I really enjoyed reading them. It does make me curious about cleaning. I will have to check into that.

Thanks! If you have any other questions (or if I did a bad job explaining something) feel free to ask!

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